The MMRCA deal was officially ended by the Indian government in 2015.The deal which was supposed to purchase 126 Aircrafts to fill the gap between Light Combat Aircraft and Sukhoi 30 MKI Air priority fighter was the only hope to reach minimum sanctioned strength of 39.5 SQNs by 2017. As Airforce war waging capabilities are shrinking,this would posses a serious threat to the security of the nation in coming years. Indian Airforce Achieved sanctioned strength only during 1980's following the purchase of Mirage-2000 and Mig-29s. As the majority of the aircraft are well beyond life cycle,due to sluggish procurement processes and due to economic constraints,they were never replaced.Although a majority of them were upgraded and overhauled to extend the service life,repeated snags, and shortage of components,further undermines capabilities of Air force.
Although India agreed to purchase 36 Dassault Rafales from France,the negotiations are in a limbo after France refused to agree with the proposals put forward by Indian officials. As France is not ready to take responsibility of Rafales that would be manufactured in India,uncertainty in the price of the fighter,further making the negotiations more complex.
With the launch of Make in India program, major companies such as Lockheed Martin and EADS are once again back with their fighters with lower price tag and more offers in manufacturing and technology transfer.
Why India choose Dassault rafale ?
MMRCA was officially started in 2007 for finding a suitable replacement of aging fighter aircraft. The five competitors were Saab Gripen,an indigenous fighter from Sweden,F/A-18 Super Hornet,a newly revamped fighter customized to meet Indian standards,F-16 IN super viper of Lockheed martin,which regarded as most advanced F-16 ever,Mikoyan Mig-35 of Russia and Eurofighter Typhoon designed and built by a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers through Eurofighter GmbH
The tests were conducted at high altitudes,desert, and high humid conditions.At the end, two favorable bidders were selected,Dassault Rafale from France and Eurofighter typhoon.Here we will discuss the decision taking in political dimension,rather than technology. Sweden and India relations were bit strained after Bofors scandal,At the same time, the neutrality of Sweden at times of war is well known.This made the political leadership to not to consider Sweden as spot to purchase the fighter that would become backbone of Indian defense
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| Eurofighter Typhoon |
India-US relations were normalized during the Bush administration. Though the leniency of US towards Pakistan alarmed the Indian policymakers,India purchased second aircrafts such as C-130 J,C-17 and P8-I Posidon from United states. The USA imposed economic and technology sanctions on India post-nuclear tests,which worsened economic conditions of India and further slowed the progress of LCA program,back in 90's. The US also armed Pakistan with F-16 and supplied modern weaponry in the name of fighting the war on terror. This disappointed the Indian leadership,and might have made them not to select US born fighter to fill the gap.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is manufactured by Eurofighter GmbH,which is a consortium of 4 European nations,Germany,Spain,Italy and United Kingdom. The German policy hinders supply of equipment to other nations in case of conflict,a policy which shaped after Two world wars. India does not have any military industrial relationships with Spain,and after Augusta Westland corruption scam the relationship between Italy and India are not in good shape.This made Indian leadership not to consider Eurofighter at the end
.
Russia has been the hotspot for Indian defense purchases since the cold war period. Though Indian leadership doesn't want to depend on a single nation for arming itself. The main reason for rejection of Mikoyan Mig-35 would be the deepening relationship between Russia and China. It's been unclear that what would be Russian stand in case of conflict between India and China. At the same time, the maintainability of Russian fighters is a herculean task. Repeated snags and shortage of spares made the Indian leadership to not opt for another Russian-made aircraft.
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Russia has been the hotspot for Indian defense purchases since the cold war period. Though Indian leadership doesn't want to depend on a single nation for arming itself. The main reason for rejection of Mikoyan Mig-35 would be the deepening relationship between Russia and China. It's been unclear that what would be Russian stand in case of conflict between India and China. At the same time, the maintainability of Russian fighters is a herculean task. Repeated snags and shortage of spares made the Indian leadership to not opt for another Russian-made aircraft.
France and India enjoy strong economic and military ties since independence. France was the only western nation,that not imposed sanctions post-nuclear tests. France also ascertains Indian position inKashmir issue. The French-made Mirages played a decisive role in Kargil conflict with Pakistan. The easier maintainability of French fighters as well as the easier supply of spare parts,along with lower lifecycle cost of Rafale,makes it favorable for Indian needs.
F-16 IN Technology and Specifications
With APG-80 AESA Radar,Advanced EW suit,Modern full-color digital cockpit,and Net-centric warfare capability,F-16IN is the most advanced F-16 ever produced. F-16 evolved from USAF program to find a dedicated dogfighter to counter Russian MiGs. The F-16 is famed for its dogfighting capabilities. It had highest mid-air victories (72-0) and has flown over 100000 combat missions.It completed one million combat sorties and delivered more than 2,200,00 ordinances.
F-16IN is evolved from F-16C/D Block 52+ and F-16E/F Block 60 Desert Falcon.The MIL-STD-1773 data bus used on fighter gives it higher data handling and flawless performance. The Northrop Grumman AN/APG-80 AESA radar provides outstanding situational awareness. The APG-80 is designed to search continuously for and track multiple targets within the forward hemisphere of the aircraft. As a result of increased operational flexibility, pilots will be able to simultaneously perform air-to-air search-and-track, air-to-ground targeting and aircraft terrain-following.Additional advances of the APG-80 agile beam radar include much greater detection range, high-resolution synthetic aperture radar imagery, and a two-fold increase in reliability compared to conventional, mechanically scanned radars.
F-16IN will feature a conformal fuel tank which will give more range and weapon carrying capability. Though when empty it might create unnecessary drag and g-force,but won't have much impact on overall performance of aircraft. Aircraft will also be equipped with An advanced EW suit and Infrared Search and track (IRST) system. Coupled with advanced avionics,Helmet-mounted cueing system, and advanced survivability features,making it one of the most advanced 4.5 generation fighters in the market.
GE-F 110-132A is the one of the latest engine developed by General Dynamics. It's FADEC operated and has higher safety and maintainability compared to no-FADEC engines. The F-110-132 A has fewer rotating parts and has an advanced augmentor designed for improved maintainability and lower life cycle cost.
FEATURES AT A GLANCE:
F-16 is one of the most advanced 4th gen aircraft in the market. But the on par with technology,political relationships with the United States must be taken into account.Dassault rafale is much more capable than F-16,but comparing the price as well as offers by Lockheed and Dassault,India has more advantageous if opting for F-16. It will help India to become a global player in fighter manufacturing and at the same time will give the ability to block the supply of fighters to its rivals. It will also enable India in establishing a sound Military Industrial base in the future,as well as to manufacture advanced indigenous fighters.
Sources:
F-16 IN Technology and Specifications
With APG-80 AESA Radar,Advanced EW suit,Modern full-color digital cockpit,and Net-centric warfare capability,F-16IN is the most advanced F-16 ever produced. F-16 evolved from USAF program to find a dedicated dogfighter to counter Russian MiGs. The F-16 is famed for its dogfighting capabilities. It had highest mid-air victories (72-0) and has flown over 100000 combat missions.It completed one million combat sorties and delivered more than 2,200,00 ordinances.
F-16IN is evolved from F-16C/D Block 52+ and F-16E/F Block 60 Desert Falcon.The MIL-STD-1773 data bus used on fighter gives it higher data handling and flawless performance. The Northrop Grumman AN/APG-80 AESA radar provides outstanding situational awareness. The APG-80 is designed to search continuously for and track multiple targets within the forward hemisphere of the aircraft. As a result of increased operational flexibility, pilots will be able to simultaneously perform air-to-air search-and-track, air-to-ground targeting and aircraft terrain-following.Additional advances of the APG-80 agile beam radar include much greater detection range, high-resolution synthetic aperture radar imagery, and a two-fold increase in reliability compared to conventional, mechanically scanned radars.
F-16IN will feature a conformal fuel tank which will give more range and weapon carrying capability. Though when empty it might create unnecessary drag and g-force,but won't have much impact on overall performance of aircraft. Aircraft will also be equipped with An advanced EW suit and Infrared Search and track (IRST) system. Coupled with advanced avionics,Helmet-mounted cueing system, and advanced survivability features,making it one of the most advanced 4.5 generation fighters in the market.
 |
| GE-F-110-132 Engine |
GE-F 110-132A is the one of the latest engine developed by General Dynamics. It's FADEC operated and has higher safety and maintainability compared to no-FADEC engines. The F-110-132 A has fewer rotating parts and has an advanced augmentor designed for improved maintainability and lower life cycle cost.
FEATURES AT A GLANCE:
- Most advanced F-16 ever produced
- Equipped with AN/APG-80 AESA radar
- Advanced EW suit and Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system
- GE-F-110-132A ,FADEC controlled engine
- Net-Centric warfare capability
- Advanced survivability features
- Modern Full-color ,All digital glass cockpit
Lockheed Martin offers to India
After negotiations with France failing to reach any progress,Lockheed Marti offered India an option to produce F-16 in India under Make in India program.In April 2016 ,Lockheed offered to shift whole production assemblies to India,along with options for manufacturing Helicopters and UAVs in India. If India accepts the offer,India will become a global hub for manufacturing F-16s. If production assembly shifted to India it would bring down the cost of fighter considerably,which may attract other countries to purchase the system. At the same time, India will have a clear voice in selling the jets to countries that might undermine Indian security. As spare parts are manufactured in multiple nations,India cannot assure, the easier supply of spares in the timer of conflict. But if India could persuade them to produce critical spares in India under Make In India programme,it will further boost Indian aircraft industry through technology transfers and at the same time ensures supply of critical spares in the time of conflict.
CONCLUSION
F-16 is one of the most advanced 4th gen aircraft in the market. But the on par with technology,political relationships with the United States must be taken into account.Dassault rafale is much more capable than F-16,but comparing the price as well as offers by Lockheed and Dassault,India has more advantageous if opting for F-16. It will help India to become a global player in fighter manufacturing and at the same time will give the ability to block the supply of fighters to its rivals. It will also enable India in establishing a sound Military Industrial base in the future,as well as to manufacture advanced indigenous fighters.
Sources:
- http://i1.wp.com/www.defenceupdate.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/F-16-2.jpg?resize=559,419
- http://www.f-16.net/f-16-news-article827.html
- http://www.globalresearch.ca/lockheed-martin-offers-to-site-f-16-fighter-jet-production-in-india-part-of-us-campaign-to-make-india-a-frontline-state/5519737
- http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-25/lockheed-eyes-tata-as-f-16-partner-for-next-big-india-jet-deal
- http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-15/french-fighter-jets-show-modi-can-t-make-everything-in-india
- http://www.livefistdefence.com/2009/06/mmrca.html
- http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-16in.htm
- http://thediplomat.com/2016/07/why-india-should-consider-lockheed-martins-f-16-offer/
- http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/not-your-fathers-f-16-take-a-tour-of-the-f-16in-super-1676745840
You forgot some points :
ReplyDelete- Rafale is totally able to operate into a full nuclear war as it's EMP shielded.
- Rafale is NOT a 4.5 gen aircraft, actually, if F-22 and F-35 are the references for a 5th gen aircraft, Rafale is a 5.5th gen one as it doesn't needs weapons bay and while a S-300/S-400 based A2/AD system will lock'n'shoot F-22/35 from 240km, Rafale can approach within the range of a JDAM/LGB and even fly just over, providing it stays out of the detection bubble (high altitude).
Rafale's stealth was unclassified by French government on Dec.2015 and confirmed by Indian air marshall SB Deo on Dec.2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndnE8txkk2k
Another point : considering the 50% offset in the 1st Rafale contract, India will anyway become a global player in the aircraft market as India and France are simply combining their R&D and building capabilities.
Rafale is already cheaper than Super-Hornet and more capable than SH, F-22, F-35, F-15, EF-2000, Su-35 etc etc, once built in India, it'll become cheaper than F-16 while HAL Tejas will become a stealth baby-Rafale able to kick as much but in shorter range with less payload and for cheaper than dirt.
What the article also forgets is that Rafale can already drive a swarm of nEUROn combat drone and is able to launch a satellite up to a 800km orbit and so will be technically be able, if anyone violates the fact that space shall not be weaponised, to follow such a trend by putting some 'goldeneye' in orbit or PGS (prompt global strike) weapons.
The article also forgets that :
1. USA helps Pakistan
2. Pakistan is more and more teaming with China
3. India doesn't intend doing some proxy war against China on the behalf of USA or becoming USA's vassal
4. China is fielding J-20 and J-31 stealth fighters, thanks to Lockheed transfer of technology to China for free in order to boost arms race. F-35 is a Lemon, it will force the return of F-22 and the lift on the ban of F-22 export. Rafale having proved being able to tame F-22, it'll also tame J-20 and J-31.
5. "USA has no friends, only interests"-Gen. Charles de Gaulle
6. USA has already put up embargoes and sanctions against India. Today they befriend you, tomorrow they bomb you.
7. USA is totally unreliable as an ally and is the most hated country on Earth. They even back-stabbed the French many times although without LaFayette, they wouldn't even exist.
Excellent your comment, from beginning to end.
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost the theory of 5.5 fighter is wrong, rafale is not a stealth fighter and it can never get on par with other air superiority fighter. Also while considering the strategic partnership of India-US ,the deal will bring India an edge over other countries. It's also helps in pushing make in india as India could become world hub for F-16 servicing and components. Politics changes as global order changes,we have to adopt to the changes rather than sticking on to past, strong allies means strong nation,look at china, they got fire power ,but they can't wage a war as they lack real allies, Russia is an ally but not enough to counter US and allies. So in 21st century aligning with USA is our best option
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